SpaceX's new Starlink satellites are so radio noisy that they could blind radio astronomy observatories to the universe's most intriguing phenomena, scientists say.

Riding atop a fuel cell filled with a million pounds of liquid kerosene, SpaceX launched 21 Starlink communications satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 6:45 p.

Update by the edhat staff September 18, 2024 The Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg has been delayed. The vehicle is now slated to lift off Thursday morning at 5:00 a.m. SpaceX Set to Launch Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday By the edhat staff September 17,

The excess radio emissions from Starlink satellites threatens to hinder observations through radio telescopes, astronomers in Europe say.

An international team of astronomers reported in a study Wednesday that the second generation model of Starlink satellites is hampering radio astronomy, which is essential for the study of the non-visible universe,

Satellite swarms orbiting the Earth are leaking more radiation into protected wavelength bands than ever. In fact, the second generation of Starlink satellites – known as the v2mini and v2mini Direct-to-Cell versions – are leaking up to 32 times more radiation than their predecessor.

V2 sats beam 10M times brighter noise, hampering telescopes The second generation of Starlink satellites being lobbed into orbit by SpaceX might not reflect as much sunlight as the old ones, yet astronomers say they're leaking up to 32 times the unintended radio waves instead.

Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations.